Auckland FC claim derby bragging rights with a commanding 3-1 victory.
Auckland FC have once again asserted their dominance in the North v South Island rivalry, defeating South Island United 3-1 at 4R Electrical Govind Park in Ba to maintain their grip at the top of the OFC Pro League standings.
The result, one of two fixtures rescheduled after inclement weather disrupted Round 3 in Melbourne, saw Auckland bounce back emphatically from their narrow defeat to Bula FC three days prior, and mirror their opening day victory over the same opponents earlier in the season.
For South Island United, the loss leaves them nervously looking over their shoulder. A win for Tahiti United over South Melbourne FC in the day’s second fixture in Ba could see them drop out of the Leaders Group entirely.
South Island United came out of the blocks quickly, knowing a point at minimum was needed to secure their top-four spot. Auckland goalkeeper Oscar Mason was called into action twice inside the opening quarter of an hour, first parrying a fierce direct free kick from Jaylen Rodwell, before producing a stunning one-handed stop to deny Ry McLeod from close range.
In the 28th minute, three South Island defenders inexplicably failed to deal with a routine long ball, gifting Oscar Faulds a clear run on goal. The striker made no mistake in a one-on-one with Steven Van Dijk, slotting home to give the league leaders a deserved advantage.
Auckland almost doubled their lead before half-time, with Matt Ellis forcing a sharp save from Van Dijk from distance, the keeper quickly smothering the rebound to keep the deficit to one at the break.
The second goal arrived just before the hour mark and was a moment of quality. Liam Gillion cut inside from the left and unleashed a low right-footed effort that struck the post, ricocheted off the back of the helpless Van Dijk, and trickled into the net.
Oscar Mason was in inspired form, twice more denying Van Hattum and Haris Zeb with outstanding stops.
South Island United did pull one back in the 76th minute, David Yoo turning home from a corner. But any momentum was immediately extinguished. Just five minutes later, captain Christian Gray was caught in possession inside his own half, and Isa Prins pounced, bursting clear before finishing with a delicate chip over Van Dijk to seal all three points for Auckland.
Kian Donkers went close to adding a fourth deep in stoppage time, only to be denied by Van Dijk in a one-on-one, but the result was already well beyond doubt.
Auckland FC head back to Auckland in a confident mood as the season enters its decisive final stretch.
